?'s for you Savage gurus

M

mongovb

Private
Minuteman
Oct 27, 2010
14
0
54
#1
I want to get into long range shooting and have been looking at the Savage line of guns. I really wanted the 110BA, but, that is out of my price range considering I will need to buy glass as well. So, I have looking at a platform to build off of. I have been interested in the model 111 long range hunter to start with in 300 win mag. It has a fluted medium weight barrel. I wanted to start on a 308 platform to learn, but, I dont want to get a 308 then have to move up to the 300 later. The 300 has interested me since I was told it is close to 338LM which was my initial thought until I started looking at the price, even reloading. I will be reloading once I get into it. I plan to eventually step out to 1000+ yards. Questions below.

1. Can I buy the 300 win mag platform and install a 308 barrel and bolt to learn on?

2. Any cons to the 300 win mag? If yes, what?

<span style="font-weight: bold">Model: 111 Long Range Hunter</span>
Series: Hunter AccuTrigger: Yes
Sights: Drilled and tapped for scope mounts AccuStock : Yes
Magazine: hinged floorplate
Stock material: Synthetic
Barrel material: Carbon Steel
Stock finish: Matte
Barrel finish: Matte
Stock color: Black
Barrel color: Black
Action: Long
Features: Karsten adjustable comb, Adjustable muzzlebrake
 
#2
Re: ?'s for you Savage gurus

What is your experience level?

I would highly recommend the Savage 10 FP in the HS Precision or McMillan Stock:
http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/43532

But to answer your first question:
Yes, absolutely. as a matter of fact, you do not need to buy the entire bolt, just the bolt head and barrel. You will need a barrel vise OR action wrench, barrel nut wrench and headspace gages. The barrel vise is NOT an absolute, but they come in VERY handy. If you have the barrel vise, you do not need the action wrench. I do recommend a couple of spare barrel nuts. Feeding MAY be an issue since the follower and reciever will be cut for the fatter case.

The biggest cons to the .300 is recoil, cost for ammo and barrel cost as it eats barrels.
 
#5
Re: ?'s for you Savage gurus

I am not a big fan of the barrel blocks to use in the vise. Myself and others have had problems using just the barrel vise and the barrel nut wrench. After I bought the action wrench (from midway) it took me about 30 minutes to remove the old barrel, install the new one, and headspace it. I recommend the barrel nut wrench and action wrench, and go and no-go gauges. Some people will say get the go only and put a piece of tape on it for a no-go, but I say why risk it. The no-go is only another $25 or so, and the bullet and action are only inches from your head, so don't chance it.
If you are wanting a 300wm, pick up a used one on gunbroker. Either look for a 110 or 111 for blued, or 116 if you want a stainless action. I have seen the 300wm complete rifles go for as low as $250. All you need to do, is buy a custom barrel in 300wm, the tools and gauges, and a new stock of your choice. I would also add a Rifle Basix trigger, much better than the accutrigger or non-accutriggers. You should be around $1000 on the above stuff, minus tools (depending on stock, add some more for manners or mcmillan). Check out stockade also for stocks.
Yes, you can pick up a 308 in a long action and then switch to 300wm later. Will have to change bolt face, 308 uses .473 face and the 300wm uses a .540 face(magnum bolt face). May also have to change the mag follower. Older actions may require a different firing pin, savage changed them.
 
#6
Re: ?'s for you Savage gurus

Thanks guys. I would say I am a skilled beginner when it comes to firearms. I have been reloading now for a couple of years and consider myself mechanically inclined. I have installed a couple of trigger jobs and have torn down my guns to clean and learn. I do have a buddy who was an armorer for a local PD, military and is the RO at my local range. so I have someone to go to for help if needed. I am one of those types that likes to know how my stuff works. I do not hunt, I am just a target guy for the most part. I would love to eventually compete. I try to compete in USPSA and 3-gun now, but I always liked the long distance stuff.
 
#7
Re: ?'s for you Savage gurus

Cant go to wrong with a 110 fp in 300 win mag. That was my first heavy barrel rifle. 300 win is cheap to shoot and is plenty good enough to get to a mile. I shot out the stock barrel and replaced it with a 30 " pac nor 300 win barrel.It was a great gun to start with for me. Knowing what I know now I would get a Remington. They are much easier to out fit and your stock and part options are nearly unlimited and very simple to get the right parts(savage just makes too damn many different recievers and the aftermarket cannot keeep up with them)

If I were in your shoes I would get an sps in 300 win mag (if they make it in a heavy barrel), if not the 700p is a very capable rig and definately comes in 300 win mag.
 
#8
Re: ?'s for you Savage gurus

My buddy just bought a 700P in 308 and it seems to be a nice gun, but I just wanted something different and as I do like to tinker, being able to easily swap out barrels if I want to switch to another caliber is appealing.
 
#9
Re: ?'s for you Savage gurus

Then you will really like Pac nors rem nut barrel. It is a Savage barrel nut type system that goes on a Remington 700. I installed one in 223 and it shoots great. I was a big Savage geek for a while but became frustrated by the lack of parts to build them(I had three) the way I wanted. I switched over to all Remington based recievers and life got a whole lot easier.
Savage is okay, Remington is a much better option IMO.
 
#10
Re: ?'s for you Savage gurus

I agree with fdkay.

If you plan on learning on a .308, then I would suggest starting with a .308 long action and build your .300 later. Just keep in mind the cons that were brought up. The recoil will wear you down and reduce the length of time you spend at the range. The cost of ammo will also be a factor to how much time you get to spend. If you're reloading, it's not too much of a factor, but a factor nonetheless.

Either way, I would vote on the Savage. I put a scope on my Savage 10PC last night while at my parent's house. My dad asked if I had it bedded and free floated. I told him it came that way. Then he asked how much I spent and then spent the next twenty minutes fondling my rifle after I told him $550.
 
#11
Re: ?'s for you Savage gurus

Now you guys got me thinking. I do reload and plan to do so with both calibers so price of ammo is a little less of an issue. I also want to add a muzzle break. I shot a 110BA a week or so ago and it was a little harder than my AR. Well back to google for more research.

<span style="text-decoration: line-through">Can anybody help me with e-mail notification? I dont get email notifications on replies.</span>
I figured it out
 
#12
Re: ?'s for you Savage gurus

I think you should start with the gun mentioned and just invest in ammo. Your going to put a 308 barrel to save money on ammo but you wont save in the long run. By the time you buy the barrel, all the tools, different bolt head, brass, bullets, different powder for 308 than 300 win mag, and reloading dies, you'll have a shit ton more into it than the cost of the win mag. The only thing that is more expensive in the long term with a 300 win mag is the powder per round. Brass will last you a while, bullets are only a couple dollars different than the lighter 308 bullets, and primers are all about the same. I'd get the 300 win mag and keep it simple and just practice practice practice. Get a 308 when you can just afford to buy one. It's not like your going to be shooting 2 guns at once just because you have 2 barrels.
 
#13
Re: ?'s for you Savage gurus

And...you don't need to always get a quart out of a pint pot. You can drop down a node or two with a slightly faster powder...such as 4895...and load to .30-06 recoil and velocity levels and increase the velocities as your skill levels increase. (You don't want to load light with the slow powders because of the risk of the deflagration to detonation phenomenon.) JMHO
 
#14
Re: ?'s for you Savage gurus

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: former naval person</div><div class="ubbcode-body">And...you don't need to always get a quart out of a pint pot. You can drop down a node or two with a slightly faster powder...such as 4895...and load to .30-06 recoil and velocity levels and increase the velocities as your skill levels increase. (You don't want to load light with the slow powders because of the risk of the deflagration to detonation phenomenon.) JMHO </div></div>

This is also good! Just keep the load at or near minimum load charge and work your way up. Since you don't plan on shooting out to 1000yd right away then you won't need to be at a hot load to make it out to 300-500yds accurately. Step up the charge as your experience grows. You also said you were going to have a break installed. This will cut down your recoil a ton as well.
 
#15
Re: ?'s for you Savage gurus

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Snipedogg</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: former naval person</div><div class="ubbcode-body">And...you don't need to always get a quart out of a pint pot. You can drop down a node or two with a slightly faster powder...such as 4895...and load to .30-06 recoil and velocity levels and increase the velocities as your skill levels increase. (You don't want to load light with the slow powders because of the risk of the deflagration to detonation phenomenon.) JMHO </div></div>

This is also good! Just keep the load at or near minimum load charge and work your way up. Since you don't plan on shooting out to 1000yd right away then you won't need to be at a hot load to make it out to 300-500yds accurately. Step up the charge as your experience grows. You also said you were going to have a break installed. This will cut down your recoil a ton as well. </div></div>
Yea the 110BA I shot, had a pretty light recoil for a 300WM.
 
#16
Re: ?'s for you Savage gurus

I have the 110 BA in 338LP and its recoil is quite tame so I'm sure the 300 winmag is a kitten. But the weight of the gun plays a huge part in recoil. Fully loaded, my 110 weighs about 18 pounds...
Now, on the topic of discussion - if you are talking about 'eventually' going to 1,000+ yards and are relatively new to the long range game, why not just get a model 10 in 308 and shoot to your heart's content? Its a great starting caliber and, when you are ready to go out to 1k, it will gladly take you there with very sufficient accuracy. And it will even go further. I've taken mine to 1200 and, while it didn't drive tacks, it held its own.
And there are plenty of fine cartridge designs based on the same boltface that would be a simple barrel swap and reach out to that 1200 with much greater accuracy. A few that come to mind are the 6.5x47 Lapua, 260 remmy, 6.5 creedmor, and 6.5 x284.
 
#17
Re: ?'s for you Savage gurus

Also, while I can appreciate your desire to spend wisely, good luck! I am relatively new to this game as well and thought my sks was going to be all the rifle I would need just 11 months ago. Well, a lot of overtime and some $10k+ later and I am still in the hunt for something new. Heck, I still have yet to own a custom rifle and I know it is in my future somewhere...
My point is, just get whatever you can afford right now to get you headed in the right direction and if you get bitten by the bug like I did you will find a way to afford the next evolutionary step. Just a year ago I couldn't justify spending more than $300-400 on a rifle or scope and now I've spent that much on just the couple hundred rounds of brass to feed my 110BA!
 
#18
Re: ?'s for you Savage gurus

So I don't understand why you would want to buy one rifle and then change the barrel for a "beginner"? If I was going to change the barrel, I would change the barrel to 6.5x47 Lapua!Better ballistics and it will be all the gun that you need to get to 1000yds. The recoil will be less and overall you could build 1 very very decent rifle for what you are going to spend on buying a rifle, then changing it over, including two sets of dies, brass, etc.

However, that is just my opinion. The 308 is a good rifle for LR shooting. The 300win mag is a good round, but it will beat you to death eventually and if anything ever happens to your shooting shoulder, well you probably will be selling that thing. I shoot a 7mm Rem Mag and after 20rds you know you've been shooting something! Never shot a 300win mag that I recall, but from what I've heard and read, there is not alot of difference between the 7mag and 300mag.

As a Savage fanatic, I can't say enough about their rifles. The price is a big atribute in my opinion. Yes there are more parts available for the Remmy's, but why would you over pay for a rifle? Yes Savage parts may not be as available, but there are plenty available and they are made by the same manufactures that offer remmy stuff. There are some specialty guys that build parts for only Savage rifles and they do a very good job at it!
Goodluck with it.
 
#19
Re: ?'s for you Savage gurus

If your mind is set on the 300wm for the future, build a 308 from a stevens short action for now. You can pick up a complete stevens in short action or long for around $250 (academy had 7mm-08 stevens on sale for $199 at one time earlier this year), buy a custom 308 barrel for around $300, and stock of your choice and bed it. I would also recommend a trigger upgrade for the stevens since it doesnt have the accutrigger. Shoot it while you are building your 300wm. Isn't as glorified as some of the rifles you will see beside you at the range, but it will probably outshoot most of them.
 
#20
Re: ?'s for you Savage gurus

I've got a 110FCP-K (similar to the Long Range Hunter) in 300 WM, with the muzzle brake it is almost pleasurable to shoot. Much less kick than my un-braked 300.

Save your money and just shoot the 300 and buy an extra barrel for it for when you burn out the first one.
wink.gif
 
#21
Re: ?'s for you Savage gurus

.308 and shoot it.
IF you end up needing and wanting the .300wm THEN buy one.
4K + shots out of a .308 before you have barrel issues.
How many out of a .330WM?
When you are learning you need to shoot.
.308 means you can shoot all day and not worry too much.
.300WM gives you how many shots before it has to be cooled?
Learning on a .300wm means several new barrels.
Learning on a .308 means one.

The idea of loading down sounds really great, the problem is very few guns are accurate on low nodes. What's the point in shooting it if it's not accurate?

A lot of guys jump to a more powerful cartridge asap and by doing so they learn less and tend to be worse shooters.
You will learn 1K+ on a .308 and being a bit "harder" just means your skill level is higher.
I wouldn't even bother to use a .300wm under 800 and 1K is where I want to start unless the conditions are so bad you need it. Not a lot of people shoot in those conditions. I do
smile.gif
 
#22
Re: ?'s for you Savage gurus

I'm thinking along similar lines, but am not quite up for the recoil of the .300WM. Health issues...

I think the 111LRH is an excellent foundation upon which to rebarrel with a longer 7mm 1:9" barrel chambered in .280 Rem.

Just read elsewhere on The 'Hide about 1700yd performance using 168's.

Recoil is a lot more manageable with the two .280's I already own, but then I haven't shot anything heavier than 139gr yet.

The factory Hornady 139gr SST Superformance load should be supersonic almost all the way out to 1Kyd.

My 120gr Nosler BT handloads are probably running somwhere in excess of 3200fps with a sub-max load. 20rd downrange last W/E, and no apparent effect on the shoulder.



Greg
 
#23
Re: ?'s for you Savage gurus

Thanks guys again for all the replies. Well the monkey wrench has been thrown into the mix now. My dad past a little over a year ago and I was going through his gun collection and came across a model 1909 Argentine mauser. All of my reading suggests that this action is a good one for a custom build, but the caliber options seem to be different. Some of the calibers mentioned is the 6.5x55 swede, 260 Rem and 270. Mine is chambered in 30-06. It also has a custom made stock that my dad carved out of Hawaiian Koa wood about 40 years ago. I would like to do some of my own work just to get some experience and I think this might be a good start. Obviously, I will leave the more important stuff to the experts, but, I think there is a bit I could do on this. Below are some pics, so what do you guys think? I think it would be a great learning experience.
IMG_0077.jpg

IMG_0078.jpg

IMG_0079.jpg

IMG_0080.jpg

IMG_0081.jpg

IMG_0082.jpg
 
#24
Re: ?'s for you Savage gurus

Are you sure it was rechambered?

It was originally chambered in 7.65 Argentine which is very similar to the .308 in performance, though it uses .311 bullets.

Prvi makes a 180 grain hunting load that they advertise at 2500 fps.

I would take the wood stock off, keep it for when you retire the rifle.
Personally, I would have a good barrel put on it in the original chambering. Sierra makes a MK in .311, 174 grains and restock it with a B*C varmint/tactical
 
#25
Re: ?'s for you Savage gurus

If you look just in front of the Mauser Modelo stamp, you can just make out the 30-06 stamp, so I assume it was rechambered at some point. It was a hunting rifle for many years. He also had a British Enfield 303, but, its just the barrel and action. I plan to take home the mauser and a Colt model 1903 32 ACP pistol.
 
#27
Re: ?'s for you Savage gurus

Leave the mauser alone and buy the savage. I love and shoot the 308, but I would do a .243 8 twist (on a long action if you want the most flexibility to change barrels). low recoil, cheap to load, ballistics close to the 300wm and way better than the .308. Some will argue correctly that barrel life is not very good, but were not shooting competitively here are we? Unless your game is 1k+ or you are a hunter I just cant justify the 300 as a starter rifle. Since you dont have a profile there is no way know where you live-- if its not out west the 300 is probably overkill. What ever you do buy something and shoot it a lot!
 
#28
Re: ?'s for you Savage gurus

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: MitchinOR</div><div class="ubbcode-body">If this was part of my dad's collection that he customized personally I would leave it as is, add it to my collection and move on. </div></div>

The gun ended up as a loner gun to his friends or who ever wanted to shoot it. He was more attached to the Enfield, but, when I was a kid, I took the stock off to refinish it in wood shop and it ended up getting stolen. The only real sentimental piece is the 1903 pocket 32 pistol since it was his dads before him. At one point he took the press on front sight off of the Enfield and put it on the mouser because the mouser sight fell off at some point. Needless to say, if the deer wasnt with in 20 yards, you probably would hit it. I am sure no matter what I decide, he will be OK with it. I looked at a 10 FCP today with the HS stock, but, the stock did not feel right to me or should I say fit?

Oh and I do live back East, but, I am from Oregon and am visiting now. I plan to move back this way soon, so eventually I will have room to play.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

rdramsey8
Savage 110 Trail Hunter
Replies
15
Views
4K
rdramsey8
rdramsey8
B
Chassis for Savage 10FP-LE2
Replies
8
Views
222
hafejd30
hafejd30
S
Is the impulse multi caliber?
Replies
5
Views
482
shoots100
S
S
Off the shelf, build or custom shop???
Replies
19
Views
976
LRI
LRI
Afltchr
First Bolt Gun Build Curveballs
Replies
17
Views
746
diggler1833
diggler1833
Top Bottom
Back
Home
Forums
Merch
Alerts